Hammer 4

I'm talking about how the spool spins, i.e. good long cast's, and being smooth during the retrieve..Spinning the handle isn't a sign that a reel will be smooth.

He could get lucky, and get a really good smooth Fuego like I did, spun up great right out of the box.

I've fished soft plastics , i.e. worms, creature baits, ect with 12 lb mono in stained water without any issues. If you had water that was on the clear side, then a smaller diameter line would be better. As for going with straight braid, try it, if you catch fish, then stay with it, if not then use a leader or switch to mono as a main line. There's really no or wrong, it's whatever works best for your situation. I'm sure tomorrow, there will be many others that will give you more options.

Couple of lines that would work, straight braid, but in 40 or 50 lb, works in stained water, and in thicker vegetation. A leader could be an option, I don't use leaders. Also consider a good quality mono, or hybrid line in the 12 to 14 lb range. If I could only have 1 line to use for everything, it would be mono, fished with it for many years. Hybrid will have more abrasion resistance, but not quite ass manageable as top quality mono lines. Sunline makes some very good lines.

Oh boy..you will get a zillion different opinions on what to use. Couple of ?'s...what is the water clarity like where you fish most of the time.? What if any cover does the body of water have, i.e. hard cover ( lay downs, tree stumps, stuff like that ). Or do you have thick, med, or sparse vegetation, or is it mostly open water.? Knowing these things would determine what may work best for you.

I used my 301E for many different baits, including some saltwater usage. I threw 10" hudds with it. I did change the drag over carbontex..And other than having it serviced regularly, due to fishing it at least 4 to 6 days a week, never had a problem with it, wish I still had it. So, yeah, buy em up if you can. If they have a 301E grab it and I'll buy it from ya.

Yup, 6 or 8 lb would be good choices..

Maybe. When we had the Northridge quake, there were hundreds of fallen brick chimneys that fell down. When these were rebuilt, they could not be brick any longer, but the bond beam had to be inspected before you could do any more work on them. Well, I got to talking to a couple of other contractors about price, I could not believe what I was hearing...these clowns were getting 3 to 4 times what I was charging, and I was making good money on them, only cuz I was doing like 6 at one time. So, there's always idiots taking advantage of a sad situation, I'm guessing you already knew that though. Round up all your friends with chainsaws and get'r done..Good luck Catt.

I use both a ml/f and a M/f. I prefer the m/f for most situations.

Totally agree with Roger..

This is why you pick and choose your swimbaits carefully. Even here in So. Cali the bigger swimbaits, 8" and longer don't seem to produce like they did some years ago. Dropping down in size, say 6" and below will yield better results in some cases, also you don't need the super xxh 8' rod or a size 300 reel.

MegaStrike..

All mine are baby bass...

Glen was also a studio musician, and yup a great geetar player.

No Pride in the Tribe it seems these days.

^^^^ This is great advice. Practice, practice and more practice. Once you find the sweet spot, you likely won't forget it.

Sure hope everyone is O.K. Some damage can be fixed, your life and health are far more important.

All concerned are in our prayers..We pray that ya'all are safe and sound.

Sorry, meant to say that I use 7 lb sniper.

I use sniper on my size 2500 spinning reel, works just fine. If you are targeting bass, I think 10 lb is a bit overkill, and won't cast as well as smaller diameter lines.

Hope for all of you folks that you stay safe..

Donated. Not as much as I would have liked, but every little bit helps..

6:3 for both..

Here's how I use to rig my Hudds.